Capacitor

Capacitors come in many shapes, sizes and capacities. The preceding photograph displays two small capacitors that could be used in low-power circuits like we will be using in this book.

A capacitor stores and discharges electricity similar to a battery, except the capacitor charges and discharges rapidly often in seconds or fractions of seconds. The capacitor is used in almost all electronic devices for various reasons. The capacitor can be used to smooth the flow of electricity, filter the flow of electricity to only allow so much through or for a large quick burst of electricity like a camera flash.

We should be very careful when dealing with capacitors to make sure they are fully discharged before handling them to avoid getting an electrical shock.